Admirals Set to Welcome Moose to Scope for First Time

NORFOLK, VA – After splitting a pair of games against East Division rivals last week in Pennsylvania, the Norfolk Admirals will welcome the Manitoba Moose to the Scope for the first time this weekend.

The Admirals went 1-1 on their trip to Pennsylvania last weekend. Ryan Craig’s goal 1:32 into overtime gave the Admirals a 2-1 win against the Adirondack Phantoms in Philadelphia’s Wachovia Center on Friday. However, the Ads couldn’t hold on to the lead in Hershey the following Saturday night as they fell to the Bears 5-4.

The Admirals will host the Manitoba Moose at Scope for the first time in team history on Friday and Saturday. Both games begin at 7:15 p.m. Friday is Youth Jersey Giveaway Night. The first 500 kids age 12 and under through the Scope doors will receive an Admirals jersey courtesy of ITAC and WTKR NewsChannel3.

EAST DIVISION STANDINGSAt 12-14-1-0 (25 points), the Admirals are in fourth place in the American Hockey League’s East Division. The East is led by the Hershey Bears (17-7-0-2, 36 pts). They are followed by the Albany River Rats (14-10-1-2, 31 pts) and Binghamton Senators (12-10-2-1, 27 pts). The Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins are currently fifth (11-10-1-1, 24 pts) while the Adirondack Phantoms (10-11-2-0) and the Syracuse Crunch (9-12-2-2) are tied for sixth with 22 points each. Click here for the complete, up-to-the-minute AHL standings.

Twenty-six of Norfolk’s 27 games this season have been decided by two or fewer goals.

Admirals second-leading scorer Blair Jones was called up to Tampa Bay late last week and appeared in two games with the Lightning before being reassigned to Norfolk yesterday.

Before missing last weekend’s Norfolk games, Jones had played in 155 straight Admirals games dating back to December 27, 2007 – the second longest consecutive games played streak in AHL Admirals history (Marty Wilford, 168).

Jones (2G, 3A), Ryan Craig (2G, 4A) and Radek Smolenak (1G, 5A) each have points in their last four games played for the Admirals.

Mark Parrish, who was re-signed to a new 25-game Professional Tryout Contract earlier in the day, registered his first multiple-goal game as an Admiral on Saturday at Hershey.

Defenseman Scott Jackson has points and assists in back-to-back games (0G, 2A). He now leads the team with a +11 rating.

Forward Mitch Fritz played in his 500th professional game on Saturday at Hershey.

ADMIRALS PLAYER OF THE WEEKRyan Craig: 3GP, 1G, 2A, 3PTS Ryan Craig had a goal and two assists as the Admirals split a pair of East Division road contests last week. On Friday, Craig scored the overtime game-winner in a 2-1 victory over the Adirondack Phantoms. On Saturday, Craig had two assists to help the Admirals build a 4-2 lead, but Norfolk fell to the Hershey Bears 5-4.

Craig has nine goals and six assists in 21 games for the Admirals this season. He ranks second in goals and third in points on the team while his two game-winning goals trail only Brandon Bochenski’s three. He has points in four straight games with two goals and four assists in that span.

ADMIRALS HOLIDAY GIFT PACKS AND 10-PACKSTreat the Admirals fans in your life to the gift of Admirals hockey this holiday season with Admirals Holiday Gift Packs and Admirals Holiday 10-Packs.

Admiral Holiday Gift Packs include an Admirals magnet, an Admirals lanyard, an Admirals cowbell, four Admirals ticket vouchers and $10 in Admirals Hockey Bucks to be used for concessions, tickets and/or merchandise. The Admirals Holiday Gift Pack is valued at $73 but is available now for only $50!

New this season are Admirals Holiday 10-Packs. On top of the great value and flexibility always built into Admirals 10-Packs, you now also get an Admirals hat and an Admirals player-autographed puck. Admirals Holiday 10-Packs are available for as little as $125.

Admirals 10-Packs offer a flexible and affordable way to watch Admirals hockey at Scope. 10-Packs consist of ten undated ticket vouchers at $1 off the gate price. These vouchers may be redeemed at the Scope Box Office anytime for tickets to any 2009-10 Admirals regular season home game. Fans can use all ten vouchers at once, spread them out for a single ticket over ten different games, or anywhere in-between. Plus, there are no ticket fees.

Limited Admirals Holiday Gift Packs and Admirals Holiday 10-Packs are available, so get yours today. Click here for more details or to make a purchase now! You can also purchase them at the Admirals Center Ice Souvenir Stand during Admirals games or via phone at (757) 640-1212.

THIS WEEK ON THE ADMIRALS HOUR RADIO SHOWTune in to the Admirals Hour on Thursday evening at 6:00 p.m. on ESPN Radio 94.1-FM. “The Voice of the Admirals” Pete Michaud will be joined in the studio by an Admirals player (TBA). If you have a question for the show, please call (757) 497-1310 during the show or email keith@norfolkadmirals.com prior to 2:00 on Thursday afternoon. The Admirals player will be announced on Facebook and Twitter prior to Thursday’s show.

SCOUTING REPORTThe Admirals and Manitoba Moose will renew pleasantries at Scope on Friday and Saturday after Norfolk swept a pair of 3-1 games in Winnipeg in early November. The Admirals are the only AHL team to have claimed two victories at the MTS Centre so far this season. At 15-12-4-0 (34 pts), the Moose sit in second place in the North Division. In their last game, the Moose topped the Rockford IceHogs in Illinois 4-3. Rookie Sergei Shirokov leads Manitoba with ten goals and 20 points. He also is the rookie goal scoring leader in the American Hockey League and is tied for third in rookie points. Goaltender Cory Schneider (12-7-0-1, 2.53, .911) ranks third in the AHL with 12 wins. Like the Admirals, the Moose do not play until Friday and Saturday’s games at Scope.

TRANSACTIONS OF THE PAST WEEKNovember 29, 2009ADD D Mike Lundin – Returned on loan by Tampa Bay (NHL)
DELETE D Matt Smaby – Recalled from loan by Tampa Bay (NHL)
ADD LW Justin Keller – Signed to an AHL Standard Player’s Contract (SPC)*
*note: Keller’s 25-game PTO had expired prior to his being signed to an SPCDecember 4, 2009DELETE C Blair Jones – Recalled from loan by Tampa Bay (NHL)
ADD C Mark Parrish – Signed to a Professional Tryout Contract (PTO)**
**note: Parrish’s first 25-game PTO had expired prior to his being signed to a new PTODecember 6, 2009ADDED C Blair Jones – Returned on loan by Tampa Bay (NHL)

TICKETSTo purchase tickets to any Admirals game, you may visit the Scope Box Office weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., visit any Ticketmaster outlet, call Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000 or visit Ticketmaster online at ticketmaster.com. Don’t miss a minute of the action by purchasing your 2009-10 season tickets today. Stop by the Admirals’ Administrative Offices at Scope, call (757) 640-1212 weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or visit norfolkadmirals.com anytime!

ON THE RADIO/INTERNETAll eighty regular season games will air live on STAR 1310-AM and will stream online free of charge at star1310.com. AHL Live will carry online video of every Admirals game on a pay-per-view or season pass basis. Fans can log in to watch or get more information about AHL Live’s online video features at ahllive.com.